Unstable Atmosphere
by TheCricket
Summary: When war threatens to erupt in the OZ Cain is sent to the otherside to protect their daughter. Established DG/Cain, one sided Jeb/DG.
1. Unstable Atmosphere

Wyatt Cain watched silently from the porch of the Kansas farmhouse as the humid wind rushed through the wheat fields, making the stalks sway in mesmerizing ripples. The dark clouds rumbled with distant thunder and he caught a flash of lightning several miles to the south. Though he couldn't resist keeping a watchful eye on the turbulent skies of early summer, he'd long since stopped scouring the weather reports for any sign that a tornado had brought the missing half of his heart back to him. Cain thought it painfully ironic that as soon as he'd taken the risk of loving again and divided his scarred heart between his wife and children, it was ripped apart. It was a cruel trick the universe had played on him and not a day went by that he didn't curse the OZ and all its magic for everything that had happened. Life without DG was difficult, but the comfort of having his two children safely with him kept the small flame of hope in Cain from extinguishing completely.

He entered the house, careful to keep the squeaky screen door from slamming behind him, and found both Jeb and Lily seated at the old kitchen table. The little girl was perched on her older brother's lap, playing with the red scarf he always wore despite his absence from the band of resistance fighters. Her dark mop of curly hair hung wildly around her face and Cain mentally noted that she was due for a trim. He was terrible at taming the mess, though Jeb had some success with braiding it recently.

"Evening, Jeb." Cain nodded to his son as he squatted down beside the chair to get face to face with his daughter. Two pairs of identical blue eyes followed his movements.

"I just got in," Jeb replied. "Found her sitting here by herself."

Reaching around the girl, Cain gave Jeb's shoulder a thankful squeeze and turned his attention to Lily.

"What are you doing up, kiddo? You're supposed to be in bed," Cain said, gently brushing the hair away from the five-year-old's face.

"I couldn't sleep." Lily leaned back into her brother's chest and pressed the side of her face against his shoulder.

"Nightmare?" Jeb asked. He felt Lily shake her head slowly and looked up to see his father's concerned face.

"A storm is coming," she whispered.

Cain looked over his shoulder to see out the window. The wind had picked up and was violently whipping through the fields, and the sky had turned a menacing shade of green.

"It'll be okay, sweetheart," Cain said, pulling the girl into his arms and standing. "Jeb, close the windows and meet us in the storm cellar."

"Yes, sir." Three years away from military service and Jeb still had the disposition of a soldier. If the situation didn't require immediate action, Cain would have taken the time to be amused by it.

By the time they reached the porch, the rain had started. The tiny, stinging raindrops pelted the shingles of the roof and Cain felt Lily's hands fist tighter into his vest at the near deafening roar of wind and rain.

He still didn't know exactly how his daughter always knew when a tornado would arrive, even after five years of living on the other side. She was just a baby when they'd arrived and it had taken him years to make the connection between her anguished cries and the approaching storms. When she was old enough to talk, she claimed she could feel it in the tips of her fingers. Cain's best guess was that it had something to do with the magic that linked her, as the daughter of the Princess of Light, to the OZ. But not all tornadoes were travel storms, and that's where his reasoning broke down. Chalking it up to a force he didn't quite understand, he simply took Lily's predictions for what they were.

They circled around the back of the house to find the door in the ground that led down into the storm cellar. With one arm wrapped around Lily to keep her steady, he attempted to heave the heavy door open, but it wouldn't budge. Once Jeb finished securing the house, however, the two men were able to pull it back far enough for them to slip through the door. The smell of damp earth surrounded them as they descended the creaking stairs into the dark room below.

Lily trembled in Cain's arms and he held her tighter in reassurance as they listened to Jeb rifling through the emergency storm kit for matches to light the oil lantern. The flame sprang to life with a scrape and a pop, casting a yellow halo around them that grew wider when he touched the match to the lantern's wick.

The light reflected off the shiny trails of tears across Lily's cheeks and Jeb felt his gut clench at the sadness in her young eyes. He knew what it was like to grow up without one of his parents, and even though Lily couldn't remember her mother, he felt a certain kinship with the girl that went beyond sharing a common gene pool.

"I have a story I think would cheer you up," Jeb said, watching Cain wipe the moisture from the girl's face. "Would you like that?"

Lily nodded slightly, the movement barely an incline of her head against her father's shoulder. The wind howled loudly overhead and Jeb stepped closer to keep her attention on him instead of the storm.

"Once there was a young woman who had lived on a farm in Kansas for as long as she could 

remember," Jeb began.

"Just like me," Lily said. She'd probably heard this story countless times and the similarity between her and the main character was as familiar to her as the story itself.

"Just like you," Cain said, smiling down at her teary face.

"And one day," Jeb continued, "she was picked up by a tornado and carried up over the rainbows to a land full of magic. But the land was ruled by a terrible witch who did unspeakable things to those living there and all the young woman wanted was to go home. On her journey to find a way to return to Kansas, she met three men: a scarecrow, a tin man and a lion. Together, the four of them –"

"You skipped a part," Lily interjected.

"I did?" Jeb asked, amused that she would correct his storytelling. She was precocious and stubborn, both attributes surely stemming from DG.

"Yeah, you're supposed to say that the tin man was the bravest, most handsome man the girl had ever seen and he promised to protect her always," Lily said matter-of-factly.

Jeb laughed and gave his father a pointed look. Cain looked away, lips flattening into a hard line as a blush crawled up over his cheeks.

"Ah, I see Dad's been telling you this story too. Well, in my version, things are a little different, and the tin man's _son_ was the bravest, most handsome man she'd ever seen."

While Jeb recounted the events leading up to the eclipse, all Cain could think about was what happened after: the political upheaval, the war for the throne, and all the witch's supporters who swooped down at the royal family like vultures. They saw weakness and used all their powers to exploit those vulnerabilities as the crippled House of Gale tried to recover.

But most of all, Cain thought about the day he'd left, the last time he'd seen DG.

_Five Years Earlier_

The hallways were eerily silent as Cain made his way through the palace in search of his wife and daughter. The staff had been evacuated hours before with whatever belongings they could carry clutched to their chests. The palace was empty with the exception of the royal family and those willing and able to fight alongside them. A volunteer military consisting of mostly former resistance fighters was set up outside the stone walls, but this was a battle that wouldn't be won with guns and bayonets. Only those with the strongest of magical abilities would be of any practical use when the dark forces vying against them came to strike.

A soft light was glowing from the nursery and Cain stopped in the open doorway to check the 

room. DG sat in her favorite rocking chair, the baby bundled snuggly in her lap. He could hear his wife humming gently while she gazed in adoration at the child. The sight gave him an almost physical pain in his chest. But the decisions had been made, plans carefully thought out, and it was time to follow through with them.

"We have to go now, DG." Cain tried to speak quietly, but his voice was still unexpected and made DG jump, her eyes jerking to the doorway in surprise.

Realizing who was in the room with her, she relaxed back into the rocking chair's cushion and continued studying the baby's face as if trying to memorize every detail, from the way her bottom lip occasionally wobbled to the fluttering of her dark eyelashes when she slept.

"She's perfect," DG mused, her words just above a whisper. It wasn't the first time DG had made this observation about their baby, but something in her voice made Cain think she meant it differently this time.

"Beautiful," Cain agreed. "Just like her mother."

"We can't let anything happen to her."

"We won't. Jeb's waiting to bring her to the safe house. He'll take good care of her until we can catch up with them," Cain reassured her. He had no doubt that his son would protect the girl at all costs.

"No, you have to take her to the other side." The dreamlike softness in DG's voice was gone, replaced with stony resolve as she issued the command.

"The other side? DG, what are you talking about?"

"I love Jeb, you know that. He's family. But there's only one person that I trust with the life of my daughter." DG stood and crossed the room with a sudden determination in her steps.

"Don't ask me to do this," he begged as she approached and stood toe to toe with him.

"Brave man." She carefully pressed the baby against his chest between them.

"No." He refused to accept this. Going to the other side meant being completely cut off from the OZ. It was safer for Lily, but he would be stranded there without any way to return to DG if she needed him.

"Good man." She tucked the now fussing infant into his duster, pulling the sides of his jacket around her small body so only her cherubic face was visible behind his lapel. With her father's heart sounding beneath her ear, the baby settled with a contented gurgle.

"I'm not leaving." He didn't have a choice anymore and he hated the helpless feeling that swept him into a near panic.

"Tin man." DG stroked one cool hand across his heated cheek as her eyes pleaded with him to understand why she was asking so much of him.

An explosion from beyond the palace walls reverberated through the stone beneath their feet and both DG and Cain listened as muffled gunshots erupted seemingly from every direction. The war was beginning.

"You need me here." Cain attempted one last time to change her mind, though even he knew it was a futile effort.

"I'd always be worried about both of you and I can't afford any distractions. Please, Wyatt." DG's voice cracked with overwhelming anguish and he realized what she was asking hurt her just as much. He gave a small nod of acceptance and she sighed in relief. "I'll summon a travel storm to carry you over and I'll come get you as soon as I can, I promise."

With the baby secured in his right arm, he pulled DG into his opposite side and dropped his head down to kiss her hungrily. It could possibly be the last time he'd get the chance to kiss his wife and he didn't intend to waste it. His tongue plunged past her slightly parted lips and into the moist cavern of her mouth. Their dance of tongues and lips was slow, but powerful. They were saying their goodbyes the only way they knew how without falling apart.

"I love you," he whispered simply against her lips.

_Five Years Later_

"The witch melted into a puddle of slime and the princess was set free. Then the suns returned and lit up the sky so brightly you could hardly stand to look at it." Jeb finished the story and smiled at Lily who had calmed down considerably. He listened to the surrounding silence for a moment before stating the conclusion all of them had reached. "I think the storm's over."

"I think that's about right," Cain said, making his way to the heavy door. "Time to go up and see the damage."

The smell of ozone hung heavy in the air as they exited the storm cellar. Small bits of ice and debris were scattered across the lawn, but after a brief survey of the area, Cain deemed the house and surrounding fields relatively unharmed.

A movement out in the east field caught his attention and he set Lily down on her feet and pushed her to stand behind him.

"Dad, eleven o'clock and coming towards us," Jeb reported, positioning himself to best provide cover if the approaching figure proved hostile.

"I see it." Cain's hand twitched to his hip and he wished he'd had a gun strapped to it that would 

make the gesture useful.

Whoever was out there walked at a hurried pace towards the farmhouse. A pronounced limp made the figure's head bob in and out of the shadows cast by the house's security lights.

"Who's out there?" Jeb called as the figure stopped just out of view.

And then the missing half of Cain's heart strolled out of the wheat field.


	2. Long Way Home

Torn Asunder

_Wyatt Cain stood steady in the swirling wind of the travel storm, one hand holding his hat tightly to his head, the other gently cradling the baby tucked under his long overcoat. Jeb could see the tears in his eyes and pretended that it was the stinging dirt kicked up around them that made his father's eyes water. DG fussed with his pack, securing the buckles several times over._

_"Stay safe," Wyatt commanded, his gaze boring into first Jeb and then DG as she finally relinquished her hold on his luggage. He slung the pack over his shoulder, leaving his hat to fend for itself in the increasingly turbulent wind._

_Jeb wrapped his arm around DG and pulled her to his side. Though he was a man now, and as such had the responsibilities to family and country that he was proud to shoulder, a part of him would always be the little boy wanting so badly to cling to the father who had been brutally ripped from his life._

_"I'll protect her with my life," he choked out, the words forced past the painful lump in his throat._

_"You'll do no such thing!" Cain barked unexpectedly, making DG and Jeb flinch is surprise. He took a deep breath and continued in a gentler tone. "Neither of you will sacrifice your lives for the other. That means no idiotically noble heroics and no unnecessary risks. Be smart and be careful. I want to see you both breathing when this is all over." The gravity of his words was driven home by the obvious pain in his eyes. Having to leave them was excruciating, but losing one of them for the sake of the other would surely kill him._

_"Take care of each other and we'll do the same." Jeb took one last look at his father and little sister as they disappeared into the storm and willed himself to be strong. DG clung to him, her hands wrapped tightly around his bicep, and though he could feel the tremors wracking her small body, she didn't lean into him for support. She stood on her own, ready to fight for the people she loved._

* * *

Home at Last

"Who's out there?"

Jeb's voice rang out over the expansive field just as DG pushed her way past the last row of wheat. Pain lanced up her right leg with every limping step she took, but the injury was nothing compared to the ache in her chest at the thought of seeing Wyatt and Jeb again.

She'd dreamed of this moment so many times and now that it was really happening it all felt surreal. Would they welcome her with relief, eager to knit their family back together? Or would they be angry, bitter with resentment towards her for sending them away? After five years apart she couldn't fathom the idea of purposefully separating herself from her husband for even a moment.

And there they were, standing tall and alert in front of the old farm house she'd once denied calling home. The cool breeze ruffled her already messy hair, but even with the dark strands blowing across her face, DG's gaze never strayed from the sight of her family. She stood frozen in place, watching the array of emotions flicker across Cain's face. Shock, disbelief, and apprehension were the most prominent, and though it wasn't' the broad welcoming smile she'd been hoping for, she was willing to take any reaction that wasn't the icy rejection she'd feared.

Quickly crossing the distance between them, DG stood before Cain, her face turned up towards him in cautious questioning. He was noticeably older, a few more wrinkles showing around his eyes and mouth, but Kansas had been good to him and he appeared as strong and healthy as when she'd last seen him.

"Hey there, Tin Man."

She'd taken the first steps, said the first words, and now it was up to him to decide what came next. He was silent for a moment, just looking at her as if he couldn't remember who she was, and she felt her heart crack a little more. She shifted her weight on to her good leg and resisted the urge to turn away from the lack of recognition in his eyes. Without warning his arms wrapped around her shoulders, pressing her forcefully to his chest. Air whooshed out of her lungs from the impact, but she'd never felt so grateful to be breathless.

DG felt Jeb come up behind her and a second set of arms curled around her, squirming into the tight space between Cain's body and her own. His hands splayed across her belly as he hugged her midsection and pressed his cheek to the back of her shoulder.

She pressed her face into the base of Cain's throat. Chest hair peeked up through the unbuttoned collar of his shirt and tickled her lips as she inhaled his scent so deep she could practically taste him on the back of her tongue. It seemed like forever since she'd felt so safe, so happy, surrounded by the loving cocoon of their arms.

"Daddy?" The soft voice seemed to come from nowhere and the three turned their heads to see the little girl without breaking from the embrace.

"Come here, kiddo." Cain freed one arm to hold his hand out to the girl. DG could see the warmth and joy in his watery eyes as he beckoned the girl closer. "Remember those stories Jeb and I told you? About the girl who saved Oz?"

She nodded quickly, taking his hand and gazing up at the group with wide, trusting eyes.

"Well, this is her."

The confusion on the girl's face instantly turned to the wonder and unbridled excitement that only children could experience. At her young age she couldn't quite grasp the enormity of the event, but she understood that all the stories she'd been told and promises that someday her mother would return to them were true.

"Mama!"

"Oh, God," DG moaned. The whispered sob broke her from her frozen place between the Cain men and she released herself from them to drop to her knees before her daughter.

"We told her all about you," Jeb said, his voice cracking with emotion as DG gently cupped Lily's face in her palms, studying the girl's face with a mother's tender scrutiny. "We even showed her a few pictures we'd found in Hank and Emily's old photo albums."

DG nodded, only partly listening to him as she pulled her daughter into a careful embrace. "I'm home, baby," she whispered into Lily's dark hair. "I'm finally home."

* * *

Losing a Battle, Winning a War

_The campfire burned brightly, radiating heat that made Jeb feel groggy and limp. For the other soldiers around him though, the warmth seemed to have the opposite effect as they chatted amongst themselves and shared tight smiles over stale jokes. The fact that they were allowed the risk of a fire meant a lessened degree of danger. Two years into the war and they were finally seeing a glimmer of hope that their fight was coming to and end, and that thought, more than the soothing heat of the fire, was what loosened the painful tension of the soldiers' nerves._

_"You're not eating." DG prodded Jeb's side with her elbow. He looked down into the untouched bowl of oatmeal in his hands as if just noticing it was there. Hot food shouldn't be wasted; it was a luxury they didn't often have on the battlefield. He mechanically shoveled a spoonful into his mouth and let the bland, pasty stuff coat his tongue before swallowing._

_DG nodded approvingly and returned to her own bowl while Jeb continued to eat. They didn't talk, they almost never did these days. After spending nearly every waking moment together over the past few years, they'd developed the silent sort of communication that came with such familiarity._

_Before the war they'd considered each other family, bound together when DG had married Cain and been admitted into the trust that father and son shared. But DG and Jeb hadn't been friends then as they were now; without Cain as a buffer they'd become undeniably close. They were, in fact, as close as two people could possibly be without becoming lovers. Protecting one another and keeping the promise they'd made was their top priority and if that meant never being out of arms reach, so be it._

_It was surprisingly easy for Jeb to ignore the insinuating looks he would get from others when she would cling to him after gruesome battles or when they emerged from the tent they shared after nights spent in a space meant only for one. As much as he denied the silent accusations, he knew exactly what it looked like and what it could easily become._

_DG made noises in her sleep often and he'd learned to differentiate the tortured groans of nightmares from the seductive moans and sighs of an altogether different kind of dream. How simple it would have been to give in to the temptation and lose himself in the comfort they could offer each other. It was all he could do sometimes to hold back from reaching out to her, but then she'd whisper his father's name and he knew that anything she felt for him could only be a shadow of the passion burning for another man, one who they both loved too much to betray._

_Maybe she didn't feel the same towards him, maybe it was all a fantasy he'd invented to keep his mind from dwelling on the horrors of blood and death that surrounded them daily. But her skin glowed beautifully in the firelight, even if he couldn't caress it. And her smile still shined with hope, even if he couldn't kiss it. And he had something to fight for, even if she wasn't his._

* * *

Bandages

DG never realized it would hurt so much to hold her baby again. It felt like a vice gripping her chest, making her struggle for every breath and her heart throb like it would burst any moment. It was the most wonderful pain she'd ever felt.

Despite the little girl's delight in DG's arrival, the excitement of the day had taken its toll and Lily had fallen asleep in her mother's arms almost as soon as they'd retreated to the warm safety of the farmhouse. DG cradled her daughter on her lap, rocking gently and stroking the girl's hair while Jeb and Cain watched. Both were greedy for her attention, her touch, her voice, anything that would assure them that she was real and she was there, but settled for watching the sacred moment between mother and child.

"She doesn't look like me." DG's voice was soft, barely above a whisper as she tried to keep from waking Lily.

"She's got your dark hair," Cain offered. "And your nose."

"Maybe. But the rest of her is all you." She met her husband's eyes they shared a watery smile, both unsure, but hopeful.

"We need to get that cut on your leg taken care of. Jeb, can you take Lily and put her to bed?" Cain asked, and though Jeb gave his father a sharp look of displeasure at the request, he complied readily. He reached to take the girl from DG's lap, but she shrunk back from his outstretched arms.

"I don't want to let her go, not yet. It doesn't hurt much." DG's arms tightened and Lily gave a sleepy whimper at the commotion.

"You're bleeding on my sofa." Cain pointed out apologetically.

"Oh." She looked down at her leg, seeing the red smear on the light blue upholstery beneath her right thigh, and finally allowed Jeb to take the girl from her arms. She pressed a warm kiss first to Lily's cheek, and then to Jeb's before the young man pulled away. She watched him walk down the darkened hallway to her left until he disappeared into a bedroom, the door closing behind him with the quiet creak of old houses.

"First aid kit's in the bathroom." Cain took her hand, helping to pull her up from the chair. The stretch of sore muscles made her grimace, but she allowed him to usher her into the small downstairs bathroom without complaint.

Bright light from the fixture above the sink reflected off the green tiles. Emerald mist, the color was called. DG remembered picking out the tiles when Hank and Emily had remodeled the bathroom when she was twelve. She'd always loved the color green and something about the mysterious sounding name had called to her. Now, knowing what she did about her past, the thought of ever loving emeralds made her feel a little sick.

The color didn't seem to bother Cain any as re pulled the first aid kit from the medicine cabinet and rifled through the box for the appropriate supplies to tend to her wound. Uncomfortable silence settled over them, even more noticeable in the cramped space of the bathroom. He turned to her at last, though he looked only at her leg, judging the best way to get access to the injury.

"Take off your pants." He at least had the decency to blush at the awkward request.

Cain busied himself by opening packages of sterilized gauze while DG unbuttoned and carefully stripped the stiff material down her legs, watching the impassible expression on his face the entire time. Not once did he glance at her. If he was as starved for the sight of her as she was for him, he showed no signs of it.

Something had changed. Cain had been so eager to wrap his arms around her when she'd arrived and hadn't been able to take his eyes off her when she was holding Lily, but now that they were alone… They felt like strangers. Strangers who knew everything about each other. And DG was keenly aware of every minute of the past five years they'd spent apart.

DG sat on the closed lid of the toilet as he crouched before her and began to remove the obviously improvised bandage, now soaked through with blood. The revealed wound was several inches long in a wavy "s" pattern along the outside of her right thigh, halfway between knee and hip. The skin around it was red and inflamed, looking suspiciously like a burn, and Cain decided not to ask what kind of weapon she had been up against. There would be time enough to ask later.

He dabbed gently at her leg with a thick square of alcohol-soaked gauze. DG flinched at the sharp sting and couldn't hold back a long hiss of pain.

"Sorry." Cain paused until the flare of pain had passed, then returned to cleaning the wound, taking extra care not to hurt the sensitive skin. "Why didn't Raw take a look at this before you left?"

"Raw's gone. The viewers were among the first to be targeted." DG tried to keep her voice neutral. Time hadn't lessened the grief she felt at losing a close friend, but she was able to talk about it without crying now. "I thought Jeb would have told you."

"He didn't talk much when he came through the travel storm. He told me you were alive and well, and that he'd been ordered to the otherside, but beyond that he wouldn't say much about the war." Cain had his suspicions about what might have happened, but hadn't pushed Jeb to share more than he was willing to. If there was something important that needed to be said, Cain trusted his son to tell him.

"Is he alright?" DG's voice dropped to a whisper as if she didn't want the man in question to hear them talking.

For the first time since they entered the bathroom, Cain met her gaze. He gave her a long, measuring look. What he was looking for, DG didn't know, but he must have seen something he approved of because he gave her a small smile and nodded. "He'll be okay. What about Zipperhead?"

"Glitch is with Ahamo in Central City." DG gritted her teeth as Cain spread antibiotic ointment over the wound to keep any infection out and secured a clean white bandage over the area."The city was taken over for awhile and used as the enemy headquarters. They're cleaning up the damage."

His interest piqued at the mention of her father, Cain asked, "And the rest of your family?"

"Az is good, she was headed back to the Northern Island last time I spoke with her. But Mother was killed. Assassinated. Three years ago." The few words that it took to talk about the event gave no hint of the emotional damage the princess had endured. After so many years of fighting, the war had taken almost everything from her. Family and friends were torn from her side time and time again and her mother's death had been the breaking point. She'd been moments away from giving up. But she wouldn't tell Cain that. Not yet.

He seemed to know anyway though, he always did. One warm hand rubbed soothingly along her good leg and the other cupped her cheek while his loving eyes told her more than his words could say. "I'm sorry to hear to hear that."

She didn't trust her voice with tears clogging her throat and settled for giving him what she hoped was a thankful smile.

"Does it hurt anywhere else?" He rose to his feet and looked her over quickly, noticing a few scrapes and bruises, but nothing that needed immediate attention.

"No."

"That should do it for now, but I'll check it again in the morning. I might need to put a few stitches in if it turns out to be deeper than it looks."

DG watched him as he neatly cleaned up the supplies and repacked the first aid kit. The medicine cabinet was filled with the usual materials one expected to find there: bottles of cough medicine and children's aspirin, antacids, mouthwash and toothpaste. On the bottom shelf was a cup that held three toothbrushes, two adult sized and one small and pink with daisies along the handle. Rationally, DG knew it was nothing to be upset over, but all her heart could register was that this was the home Cain had made for their family. This was where Lily had grown up. The little girl had learned to walk and lost her first tooth and said her first words in this house. Cain had kept her safe and happy. And he'd done it alone.

"I'm sorry." DG knew there was there was so much more that needed to be said, but she couldn't find the words.

"It's alright." He didn't want to have this conversation yet. It was too soon, too much had happened and he wasn't ready for it.

"I sent you away," DG persisted.

Cain took a deep breath and let it out slowly before answering. "Yeah."

"That's it?! That's your response? 'Yeah'?" She stood up, her heartache compacting into hard anger as she pushed herself into his personal space. "After everything that had happened, you have nothing else to say?"

"What do you _want_ me to say DG?!" He turned towards her, meeting her with equal indignation. "Do you want me to yell at you? Resent you for making this great mistake? Well it wasn't a mistake! Lily is more important than both of us and we did what we had to. I don't regret keeping her safe, not for a minute!"

It felt like a damn had burst. Cain had been living with the pressure of the unsaid words for so long, and once they started, he didn't know how to make them stop. "I've spent years being angry and cursing the OZ with every breath and it didn't do me any good! It didn't make me a better father and it didn't bring you back to me! I'm not –" He stuttered to a halt, breaths coming in ragged bursts, and took her hands firmly is his. "I'm not mad and certainly not at you. The only thing that matters now is that you're here and that I love you."

"I love you, too."

The first kiss they shared was cautious, a hesitant exploration of what had changed over time. DG tempted him with a swipe of her tongue on his bottom lip and Cain gladly took her offer, parting his lips and sinking in to the familiar feeling of her mouth against his.

The second kiss felt like coming home.

* * *

Dawn

Jeb reclined on his bed and looked out at the hazy gray dawn peeking up over the seemingly endless fields. It wouldn't be a sunny day, but considering a tornado brought their family together, it was only fitting that it would be overcast.

Through the thin walls of the farmhouse, he heard DG and Cain return to his father's bedroom next to his. A soft groan of pleasure and an answering moan had Jeb reaching for his ipod and hastily securing the headphones over his ears.

Having DG back was a miracle, and though he couldn't pretend it didn't hurt a little, he was happy to see her reunited with his father. Whatever she and Jeb might have had was done now, created and destroyed in the heat of battle, and he refused to return to that place in his mind.

The fighting was over and the reconstruction had begun. Life moved on, stretching towards that glimmer of light that led the way.


End file.
